Saturday, September 28, 2013
Guilt Free - Honestly
Have
you ever done something you knew was wrong even if society didn't seem to
consider it wrong? Has your conscience
ever kept you up at night? Have you ever
tried to salve your conscience only to find that the guilt never goes
away? How does a person get away from
that kind of guilt? This problem is as
old as mankind and it is easily solved through good, old-fashioned honesty.
Thousands
of years ago King David shared great wisdom concerning this issue. He wrote, "Oh,
what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of
sight! Yes, what joy for those whose
record the LORD has cleared of guilt, whose lives are lived in complete
honesty!" (Psalm 32: 1-2 NLT) After
making some major blunders, David
discovered that honesty is not a constraint, rather, it is a freedom.
The
powerful king learned - the hard way - what happens when we do something wrong
and refuse to "fess up". He also experienced a personal breakthrough
when he finally got honest with God: "When I refused to confess my sin, my
body wasted away, and I groaned all day long. Day and night your hand of
discipline was heavy on me. My strength evaporated like water in the summer
heat. Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my
guilt. I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the LORD.” And you
forgave me! All my guilt is gone. (vs 4-5)
When we offend God, He is only a prayer away. He is much more merciful and forgiving that
many people realize.
It
helps me to think of God as a coach who is trying to help me live the best life
possible. When He holds me accountable
it is in my best interest. When He is
firm with me, it is His way of insuring my success. Again, David wrote, "The LORD says, “I
will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and
watch over you. Do not be like a senseless horse or mule that needs a bit and
bridle to keep it under control.” (vs 8-9)
It would be foolish for me to ask God to help me and then ignore all of
His advice, wouldn't it? Stubbornness toward God has ruined a great many
wonderful lives.
Honesty
really is the best policy. It may seem
like bad people get away with a lot, but they have to live with
themselves. Many people try to bury or
mask their guilt by pretending there is no God and losing themselves in other
pursuits. But no one can escape God's
spiritual laws. Once more, King David put it best when he wrote, "Many
sorrows come to the wicked, but unfailing love surrounds those who trust the
LORD. So rejoice in the LORD and be glad, all you who obey him! Shout for joy,
all you whose hearts are pure!" (vs 10)
God
has always been merciful and forgiving, but when He robed Himself in flesh and
lived among us, He did so to die so our sins could be expunged. That is what
Calvary was about; He paid for your sins
with His own blood, so you can live guilt free - honestly!
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